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Friday ITV tips: Best bets for Cheltenham

Day one of the Paddy Power Gold Cup meeting at Cheltenham and the ITV cameras are focussing on four races, so the Planet Sport tipsters have a selection for each one.

First up a quick list of our hot tips for Friday's action, with the feature race the Grade 2 Ballymore Novices' Hurdle (1530). You can find more detail on each of our selections further down the page.

Don't forget to check out the racecards, results and live odds in Planet Sport's racing live centre.

Selections:

13:10 (Cheltenham) Enki Flacke
13:45 (Cheltenham) The Glancing Queen
14:55 (Cheltenham) Ballyandy
15:30 (Cheltenham) Weveallbeencaught

13:10 (Cheltenham) Enki Flacke

Friday's nap vote goes to Gordon Elliott's Irish raider Enki Flacke in the curtain-raising Markel Insurance Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle.
The five-year-old was well placed to win three novice hurdles at Perth between May and July and now enters the handicap arena from a perch of 122.
He blew away any cobwebs with a comeback run in a charity race at Leopardstown last month and the jockey booking of Sam Ewing is a major boost to his chances this weekend.

13:45 (Cheltenham) The Glancing Queen

The Glancing Queen may be capable of defying top-weight on her seasonal return in the Mucking Brilliant Paddy Power Handicap Chase.
Alan King's admirable mare has won twice already at Cheltenham and found only top-class prospect L'Homme Presse too string in the Dipper Novices' Chase here on New Year's Day.
She is 5lb higher than when bolting up here in April, but should nevertheless make her presence felt.

14:55 (Cheltenham) Ballyandy

It could prove to be a profitable afternoon for the local trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies handler, as his stable stalwart Ballyandy is expected to take some beating in the Glenfarclas Veterans' Handicap Chase.
Although not the force he once was at the age of 11, the Kayf Tara gelding won twice over hurdles earlier in the year and is currently rated 7lb lower over fences than he is over the smaller obstacles.
He finished a close-up third on his seasonal reappearance at Perth in September and that should leave him spot-on for his return to Prestbury Park.

15:30 (Cheltenham) Weveallbeencaught

Twiston-Davies loves nothing more than a winner at Cheltenham and will have high hopes of striking gold once more with Weveallbeencaught in the Ballymore Novices' Hurdle.
This Grade Two contest, an early trial for the race of the same name at the Festival in March, has a distinguished roll of honour, with subsequent Gold Cup hero Coneygree (2012) and Thyme Hill (2019) among the recent winners.
Having seen Weveallbeencaught made a big impression in an Irish point-to-point last December, Twiston-Davies went to £210,000 to secure his services in January and he made his eagerly awaited debut under rules in a Newbury bumper in early March.
Despite that not being his game, with the Getaway gelding every inch a staying chaser in the making, he had enough natural ability to register a hard-fought win.
The form looks more than solid, with the runner-up Collectors Item and the third placed Hardy Fella both win comfortably over hurdles already this season.
Weveallbeencaught has been set a stiff enough assignment for his hurdling bow, and Collectors Item is in opposition once more, but Twiston-Davies is sure to have his star youngster ready enough to do himself justice at a meeting he likes to target and he can confirm his superiority.

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